Draco waspfish (Pseudovespicula dracaena)

Scientific name: Pseudovespicula dracaena Cuvier, 1829

Draco waspfish (Pseudovespicula dracaena)

The Draco waspfish (Pseudovespicula dracaena) is a marine fish of the family Tetrarogidae. Native range: Western Indian Ocean.

Biology

Dorsal spines (total): 12; Dorsal soft rays (total): 7; Anal spines: 3; Anal soft rays: 5 - 6. Body light brown, irregularly blotched with darker brown; a broad dark band across interorbital, continuing as a bar below eye and another band from origin of dorsal fin to eye. Dorsal fin pale with a large dark brown blotch in middle of the fin, usually between 6th and 9th spines; other irregular blotches especially posteriorly. Caudal fin whitish with faint small dark spots. No scales. Body depth 2.45-3.1 in SL. Lacrimal with 2 spines, a short ventral one and a large posterior one that extends to below center of eye. Preopercle with a large spine in line with suborbital ridge; the second spine, lower, very small and blunt. Origin of dorsal fin above rear edge of eye; a broad space between 3rd and 4th dorsal spines, the associated membrane deeply incised, nearly dividing the dorsal into 2 fins. Caudal fin truncate, slightly rounded when spread.

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name
Pseudovespicula dracaena
Family
Tetrarogidae (Wasp fishes)
Order
Scorpaeniformes (Scorpionfishes and Flatheads)
Class
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length
7.5
Environment
Marine; demersal
Climate
Subtropical
Distribution
Western Indian Ocean.
Conservation status (IUCN)
Not Evaluated
Threat to humans
Venomous
Resilience
High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (Preliminary K or Fecundity.)

Sources

Taxonomy, distribution and biology data: FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds.), licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

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